Very popular tour at The Vanillerie and it was probably my first time checking out a vanilla farm of any kind, at least in the whole state of Hawaii. Luckily, The Vanillerie is located only about 5 minutes away from Kona International Airport. Our tour guide was Candee, and she was very friendly and knowledgeable about the history behind vanilla and what it is and isn't. I absolutely learned a lot of things about vanilla that I hadn't known before. Now the farm itself is relatively small, but there are 4 greenhouse-like structures where the vanilla beans and plants grow. There is not much walking or hiking that you have to do, but be mindful of the uneven surfaces. And at the end of the tour, we all got real vanilla ice cream, which I absolutely loved! Highly recommended if you love food! read more

First time visitor to the Vanillerie. Across the highway from Kona Airport. Tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, answered all questions thoroughly, and good sense of humor. Very informative tour. Very nice gift shop with a ton of vanilla products. They gave us a sample of the vanilla ice cream and it was delicious. Highly recommend this tour. read more

See all

This was such a fun and informative tour around the Vanillerie! Candee was a great guide and answered all our questions with expertise. The store had lots of vanilla products (from their own vanilla beans!) and even had vanilla extract starter kits. The tour was well worth the money. read more

The Vanillerie - Attraction Farms Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

We stopped by the Vanillerie for a tour, and had a great time! We signed up the day before and showed up for a 12pm tour that lasted about an hour. The farm is relatively small, everything is small batch production where the onsite shop is the only place you'll find the vanilla products that come from the farm. They have a nice selection of their own products, such as lip balm, sugar scrubs, body lotion, and more. The tour was great, our guide was Aurora and she did a great job passing on some cool facts, stories, and jokes about vanilla. We learned a lot and had a good time! There's not much walking so sandals are okay, and most of the time we were seated in the shaded vanilla houses. At the end of the tour you get some delicious vanilla gelato made by Gypsy Gelato using Vanillerie's beans! You can try it with some of the savory salts and rubs, the vanilla salt was my personal favorite. Great spot to visit for the casual vanilla enjoyer! read more

See all

Fabulous talk and demonstration on raising the vanilla bean! Such a nice store too of many vanilla products. Tour ends with yummy ice cream. Bailey was a great tour guide! read more

I recommend the Vanillerie tour. The tour guide we had was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, explaining the history of the farm, vanilla bean growing and processing, and she gave us lots of tips on how to incorporate vanilla beans and vanilla extract into our recipes. (Spoiler alert: vanilla is not just for pastries and other sweets). There's also the interesting aspect of vanilla in that it is a self-pollinating plant with a relatively short window of opportunity for pollination. The history of that discovery and how vanilla farms (including Vanillerie) deal with that in an efficient way is fascinating. The shop has a number of different vanilla items, including kits for making vanilla extract and beans for producing your own recipes at home. On our tour, we got to enjoy some delicious "real" vanilla ice cream. There's a nice area on the farm (among the growing beans) that you can actually rent out for picnics and events. Nice idea. read more

The Vanillerie - Growing vanilla beans. - Attraction Farms Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

If you are one with nature and into horticulture, this tour is right up your lane. A family member booked a tour online for a group of twelve of us and off we went. Located in Kona near the Kona airport, we enjoyed a one hour tour that was quite educational in all aspect of vanilla, from the history and origins to the creation of human use well known in baking, cooking and other products. Our tour guide was informative and fun. The best part was the end of tour when each person got vanilla ice cream to enjoy. There was vanilla sugar and vanilla salt to sample which is also available for sale in the gift shop. The gift shop has local original products for purchase. I found the tour a bit pricey but thinking about the aspect in supporting a local business made it worthy to experience at-least once in your lifetime. read more

The Vanillerie - Vanilla flower - Attraction Farms Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

See all

This was a very engaging and interesting tour. Other recent yelpers provided more detail, so will not repeat. Definitely a worthy opportunity to spend an hour in Kona. My whole group is excited to make their own vanilla from the kits we purchased at the end of the tour. read more

See all

Stumbled upon the Vanillerie after a visit to the Seahorse Farm across the highway. On arrival a sweet afghan hound greeted us. I have a soft spot for the breed; I had a fawn one many years ago. Our tour guide was Steve. He gave us an excellent tour, full of information and humor. Iwas fascinated to learn the Vanillerie uses a trellis system filled with macadamia nut shells. Using this system they are able to control the environment (light, humidity, etc.) and space needed, better than if they grew the vanilla orchids on trees, which is the natural habitat. On top of that the shells - a by-product of macadamia nut production - become a valued part of the process. The gift shop is very nice where we scored a bunch of holiday gifts. On the way out, treat yourself to the best vanilla ice cream, ever! Highly recommend. We will be back. Mahalo for the hospitality. read more

The Vanillerie - Steve, explaining how vanilla orchids are hand-pollinated. - Attraction Farms Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

We enjoyed this unique farm tour. The staff was knowledgeable. We got to learn about the challenging process of vanilla farming. Tour doesn't require much walking and would be interesting for a variety of age groups. They also served vanilla ice cream at the end of the tour. read more

We were looking for an interesting experience and found the Vanillerie. It's a small educational tour on a vanilla farm. You learn a lot about vanilla and how it's farmed (and they mix in a lot of silly humor). They walk you through the various stages of vanilla, and at the end you get to taste some homemade vanilla ice cream. They also provide you with some sugar, salt, rub, and peppers to experiment with the ice cream. Who knew pepper would work on vanilla ice cream. It was a short, but fun experience. read more

See all

We toured this vanilla farm and it was super interesting learning about the process of growing vanilla beans and processing it into different items. Our tour guide, Aurora, was excellent! Not only was she super knowledgeable and passionate about vanilla, she was also very funny and engaging. We absolutely adored her tour. At the end of touring the vanilla vines and learning about how they grow, you will then be taken to an area where they dry the beans. It's a really incredible process that I never gave much thought to and I highly recommend learning about it. Within their shop, you can find a goldmine of vanilla products that makes use of their own vanilla beans: vanilla extract, extract kits, body cream, body wash, chapstick, sugar scrubs, and even spices. You can purchase the vanilla beans whole as well. They also offer lots of goodies from other vendors, such as Hamakua Toffee and chocolate from local growers. I am obsessed with their body cream and purchased some for myself and also as a gift. It smells DIVINE and the scent lasts forever. You can also purchase off their website if you're not local. Definitely support this amazing place if you can! read more

See all

Did you know that vanilla is a spice derived from orchids? Neither did I, but I learned that and so much more from Aurora, our knowledgeable tour guide at The Vanillerie, a small vanilla farm on the West Side of Hawaii's Big Island in Kona. Along with a guided tour that you can book online in advance, you will find yourself immersed in their gift shop of all things vanilla. Have a sweet tooth? Then definitely stick around for the tour because there is homemade ice cream waiting for you at the end read more

The Vanillerie - Attraction Farms Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

See all

We took a tour there earlier today. It was not a very long tour, and did not require any strenuous activity or even any hiking. Our tour guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We learned a lot about vanilla and its production and uses. At the end of the tour, we even got ice cream made from vanilla raised on that farm! What's not to like? read more

Fun informative tour! Was cool and shady. I have no clue vanilla came from orchids. Steve was a great tour guide. The gift shop had lots of gifts for relatives for me to bring back. We got the vanilla lotion and cute tea towels. They also had delicious vanilla ice cream for sale here too. High recommend stopping by! read more

The Vanillerie - Attraction Farms Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

See all

Candee is very informative about the entire vanilla bean growing process and has some funny stories to entertain you with. The vanilla ice cream at the end is a really nice treat, especially at the end of a hot day. Who knew growing, curing, and processing vanilla pods was so involved! This was a delightful tour of their small farm, and their homemade products are delicious! read more

Bailey was the best your guide! I would recommend this tour to anyone! It was so informative and the ice cream provided was insanely delicious. They also have a great selection of different vanilla products! read more

Out of all of the tours on the island, which are a lot, I feel lucky to have this be our first (and potentially only) tour. I went with a group of 7, and of course other groups along on the same tour. Our tour guide told us she wasn't the typical person to do the tours, Hayden, but she was fantastic!! We learned so much knowledge about the history of the farm, vanilla itself and its origin story, and the process of growing it all the way from bean to bottle. The tour was $25 per person, we were there for an hour learning a ton of knowledge, seeing so many cool things, and got to sample the most delicious vanilla ice cream I've ever had in my life at the end. The price is totally worth the tour fee. They also had their vanilla salt, sugar, pepper, coffee rub, and other products out for sampling as well. It was a unique experience that made me appreciate vanilla even more so. The products were all spectacular and it was amazing that we got to try them. We wouldn't have thought to buy the coffee rub before trying, but it's a must. I also bought the vanilla extract making kit, and will be back for the lotion. This is a must do! What a spectacular spot. read more

See all

An informative shorter tour with homemade vanilla ice cream at the end. It was nice to experience a smaller tour of this vanilla farm. read more

See all

Wonderful tour with our guide Candee. Learned so much about vanilla growing on orchids and how it is cultivated and processed. Candee was entertaining, knowledgeable and passionate about the vanilla. My two young boys enjoyed the tour too. read more

The Vanillerie - Got to see a vanilla orchid in bloom which is rare at the time of year we came - Attraction Farms Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

See all

This was a really nice little tour. The small vanilla farm is near the Kona airport. The tour is about 30 minutes and it's shady and pleasant. The coolest thing about the tour as we learned that vanilla is an orchid. Who knew? The other really great part about the tour is they give you really delicious vanilla ice cream at the end! Definitely a nice way to break up the day and see a little more of the Kona area. read more

See all

What a great tour! We learned a bunch about the vanilla bean. Great educational small farm operation. Aurora was a great guide as well! We have not tried the other vanilla company tour but this was closer and cheaper and still great! read more

The Vanillerie - Processing - Attraction Farms Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

See all

Vanilla isn't the Plain Jane basic gal you thought she was. She's a straight up diva that needs to be pampered and given an enormous amount of attention and love. She's also the queen of the kitchen with applications in savory and sweet foods. And she likes to spread her love via body scrub, lotions, lip balm, etc. Take the tour and you will see what I am talking about. There is a lot to learn and understand about vanilla. Go on the tour. Learn. Appreciate. Don't be like the gruff tourist who passed by our small group grousing about the price of real, hand-grown vanilla extract reserve. Yeah, it's expensive, but if you take a minute to learn you will at least understand why. The demands of the diva are many, and the crew here is dedicated to showing her in her best light from bean to bottle and they do a great job showcasing and sharing the intricacies of developing vanilla and her products. Outstanding selection of vanilla beans and vanilla-infused products, including salt, sugar, pepper, rubs, body lotions, lip balms, etc. The T-shirts and hats are super cute too. Though, I do want them to create a shirt that says, "You think vanilla is basic? No, babe. She's a DIVA!" Go enjoy the tour and float away on a cloud of vanilla aroma, glad that YOU don't have to be the one to coax vanilla into existence 365 24/7. read more

The Vanillerie - Shade hut with hanging vanilla beans - Attraction Farms Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

The tour is fascinating. Who knew growing vanilla was such a complex process? Their products are first-rate as well. It is definitely worth a visit. read more

The tour was really nice and lead by Candee. Candee was very enthusiastic. A fun time! read more

What a fun thing to do, that right next to airport. We landed at 9:20 and had plenty of time to make the 10 am tour. It's very interesting only last about :50 and leaves you with a delightful taste of House Vanilla ice cream read more

See all

Candee our guide was so great. It was fascinating all the facts she had in her head about vanilla- origins, how to harvest, how to cure, what to do with all the parts of the vanilla bean. Also- I will never ever put imitation vanilla on or in my body after hearing where some of it comes from. If you want to know then this is a must do tour. Also- the ice cream at the end was amazing!!!! And the little lizards like it too! read more

We enjoyed our tour lead by Candy. She was personable and very knowledgeable. I am now officially a vanilla snob and proud of it! We bought some delicious vanilla salt that was great with our chicken and now have vanilla beans to make my own vanilla-highly recommend this tour and gift store. read more

This was a terrible tour. The guide was whispering to himself for an hour, laughing at his own unfunny jokes, and didn't really show us anything interesting. They run tours with a big group -- about 25 people. Don't waste your time and money. read more

Super fun stop near the main highway in Kona. Aurora was a wonderful tour guide, combining vanilla knowledge with a great sense of humor that is unmatched. Kids absolutely loved the free vanilla ice cream cups at the end. Delicious and high quality ice cream, a nice surprise! A joyful family experience! read more

It's very accessible and so close to the airport...only a 5 min drive across the street. We did the tour and our guide Aurora was probably the best tour guide we had. She was so funny and informative and before I didn't know much about vanilla. Now I appreciate the bean more. Given that Aurora was a stand up comedian in her past life (she shared with our tour group) that and her super knowledge in vanilla was really a nice touch for the farm tour. It had a nice retail store as well. read more

See all

Fun and interesting tour! Loved learning about how vanilla is grown and processed. Candee was our tour guide and was through, friendly, and fun! Shady and vanilla ice cream to eat at the end. read more

See all

What a beautiful place full of fragrance and love!!! You can tell by the way our Vanillerie Guide Steve spoke of the cycle of the vanilla bean. His knowledge of the vanilla beans brought another level of appreciation to how plants and animals were created for our enjoyment!!! Steve explained how each stage was critical to achieving the ultimate outcome of a successful bean. The tour was very informative and seeing all the plants just wowed me!!! The ice cream at the end was amazing!! A definite recommendation to tour!!! read more

See all

Had a tour from Steve. Such a nice guy and very informative! The gift shop was amazing and the sugar scrub is great. Also, try the ice cream! The tour took about 45-60 minutes. It involved a small amount of walking and was mostly shaded. Would recommend! read more

Sooooo we came to the wrong vanilla farm. We booked a vanilla farm tour but it was on the other side of the island. The last tour also just concluded. The tour staff was super nice and said that we can buy an ice cream to try with the seasonings that the others are trying. We also got to take a look at the back. Will definitely come do a real tour next time! read more

The Vanillerie - Attraction Farms Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

See all

We visited this small farm today and it was fabulous. Great tour with lots of great facts and great job by guide Aurora! I had no idea how vanilla extract was made or all it can be used for. Very nice gift shop with local products. Well worth your time to visit. Great value on the tour price read more

Excellent tour and very informative. Goes from the planting to the forming of the vanilla beans, blooming to hand fertilization to harvesting and processing. Well worth the time! Great value. read more

We made complete and utter fools of ourselves at The Vanillerie back in April, but more on that later. I waited to write this review now, months later, hoping that the owners/store keepers would have forgotten about us by now, but that's wishful thinking. LOCATION: Near Kona airport, close to Costco and Mrs Barry's Cookies. Great place to fill up your rental car with gas at Costco and buy some cookies for your return trip home after coming to The Vanillerie. TOUR COST: $20 for one adult. Don't be a cheapskate like myself and ask for a locals "kama'aina" rate. It's already a great deal and a bargain for the tour, so don't do what I did. I still feel stupid about it, but more stupidity later... WHAT: You get a 2-hour guided tour of the place with a guide. Our guide that day was the amazing, mesmerizing story teller Lezleigh. She was a fascinating and captivating weaver of stories, passionate about traveling, learning, local culture and of course, vanilla. You get to tour the plantation and see how vanilla is grown, how it evolved, it's history, how it is managed, pollinated, harvested, and finally, consumed. Lezleigh is so talented she managed to publish a cookbook, which is sold on premises. The tour includes a small tasting of their local vanilla ice cream, refreshing on a warm day. We chose this vanilla plantation tour over the other one in Pa'auilo (Hawaiian Vanilla Company - read my review on that one as well) due to the cost. We did not want to pay $78 for the other company's tour, which in all fairness feeds you lunch, but we wanted something like this that was short and sweet. STORE: There is a very nice store with lots of goods on shelves: gifts, toiletries, vanilla kits, vanilla infused products and edibles, and Lezleigh's Vanilla cook book. It's too bad I don't remember more. DON'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE: I asked my husband to get "that one"; a tall bottle of honey infused with a vanilla bean. Being a cheap person, I always look for the fullest-looking bottle. Since my arms were short, my husband was directed to get the two best-looking bottles, problem was, they were not easily accessible. My husband reached over and knocked one of the bottles over, and in his panic, leaned onto the shelving, thinking they were anchored into the wall (they were not), causing more bottles to domino over and smash onto the hard concrete floor. I tried to do damage control by holding onto him, and we both stood there, motionless and helpless as more bottles and vanilla-infused pepper grinders cracked and shattered and rained down on the ground. We were terrified and frozen in utter embarrassment and shame at having destroyed so many things. The clerk was visibly distraught but not at us, just shaken, like we were. They had to sweep up the sticky shards of glass embedded in honey and black peppercorns. We tried to pay for the damaged goods but they, being very nice, refused. We tallied up the broken bottles and products and left the equivalent amount in cash, in the tip jar to make up for it. As much as I loved the tour, I couldn't wait to get out of there. RETURN FACTOR: Yes, most definitely, in a disguise. Will also not be so cheap next time and only buy things easily reachable. read more

See all

Overall this tour was FANTASTIC and well worth the tour fee. If you have an interest in culinary or even gardening you will find this tour fascinating. Our tour guide Candee was exceptional. Candee gave us a 360 degree lesson on everything about vanilla. The history of vanilla. Horticultural and agricultural discoveries and challenges of growing the plants. A complete run down of the process of taking the raw bean and turning it into the final vanilla bean product. Candee was very knowledgeable and enjoyed fielding our questions. I highly recommend this tour. read more

Great experience! The lady that gave our tour Aurora was very nice and informative. The tour was 1 hour long and we had about 10 people in our group. read more

The Vanillerie - Vanilla beans drying. Smelled so good! Could have lived in this building - Attraction Farms Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii